Sun Oct 20 15:57:47 UTC 2024: Updated – October 20, 2024 09:28 pm IST – Raipur/Bhopal:Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated three airports across the country — in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja, Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa and Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur. | Photo Credit: –
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (October 20, 2024) virtually inaugurated three airports across the country — in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja, Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa and Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.
The airports have been developed under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) of the Central government and flight operations are expected to begin shortly.
The Chhattisgarh government believes the air connectivity will provide easier access to residents of Surguja as well as nearby districts such as Jashpur, Surajpur, Balrampur, Korea, and Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur to major cities across the country.An official statement said the upgrade of the airstrip at the Maa Mahamaya airport in Sarguja’s Ambikapur was carried out under the Government of India’s RCS. The airport spanned across 365 acres and was constructed at a cost of ₹80 crore and the terminal building had been expanded to cater to an estimated capacity of 5,00,000 passengers annually.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who attended the virtual inauguration along with Governor Ramen Deka and Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu, described the inauguration as a crucial step in integrating the tribal communities and remote areas of Chhattisgarh into the mainstream of development.
“It will provide the people of this region with new opportunities for education, healthcare, and employment. We take pride in contributing to the dream of a developed India by 2047. Air connectivity will not only simplify travel but also strengthen the local economy,” said Mr. Sai.
The flights would connect Surguja to cities such as Raipur, Jagdalpur, Jabalpur, Kolkata and Delhi.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, who hails from Rewa, and Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda attended the inauguration ceremony from Rewa.
The airport, expected to improve connectivity in the State’s Vindhya region, will operate with small 19-seater aircraft with two flights initially. One flight, coming from Singrauli, will connect Rewa to State capital Bhopal via Khajuraho, while another will fly to Jabalpur.The authorities are planning to conduct an auction for 72-seater flight operations in November, the State government said, adding that a flight would soon be operated from Bhopal.
The sixth DGCA-licensed airport of Madhya Pradesh, it was built by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in about 1.5 years at a cost of ₹450 crore.
The airport in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur has been built next to the Airforce Station as the civil airport does not have its own runway.
Reports said the local administration was yet to receive a flight operation schedule in Saharanpur and that no aviation company had yet offered to begin services.
Published – October 20, 2024 09:27 pm IST
Chhattisgarh / Uttar Pradesh / Madhya Pradesh / Prime Minister Narendra ModiCopyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
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